Smithland, KY
Smithland wildfire risk explained
Out of every US place USFS scores, Smithland lands at the 42nd percentile for wildfire risk to structures — modestly above the national average for wildfire risk — a figure built from its 272 buildings, not the land around them. (Source: USFS's Wildfire Risk to Communities methodology.)
USFS's separate burn-probability score — fire likelihood alone, before counting what's built there — puts Smithland at the 44th percentile, close to its 42nd-percentile risk score.
What "at risk" means for the buildings here
USFS puts 62.5% of Smithland's 272 buildings in the Indirect exposure zone, versus 37.1% Direct and 0.4% Minimal — a place where the fire doesn't need to reach the structure directly for embers to.
Smithland against the rest of the country
Smithland's 70th-percentile standing inside Kentucky outpaces its 42nd national percentile — this is a hotter spot than most of its own state, even though the state as a whole runs cooler nationally. Among the 31,521 US communities USFS scores, Smithland ranks 18,430 for wildfire risk (1 is highest) and 22,440 by building count (1 is largest). Within Kentucky alone, it ranks 168 of 552 places by risk. See the full county-by-county picture for Kentucky on its state page.
What this risk score means for insurance
Smithland's elevated rating (42nd percentile nationally) sits outside the range where wildfire risk alone reshapes an insurance market — still, a homeowner here loses nothing by comparing rates.
Hardening a home in Smithland
With ember exposure the dominant pattern in Smithland (62.5% Indirect), vent screens and roofing material tend to matter more than lot clearing alone. The home-hardening guide covers both.
More on how this number was built
Smithland's 42nd-percentile score and its burn-probability figure both come from the same USFS workbook, documented in the methodology guide. For more on what indirect exposure implies beyond Smithland, see the exposure-zones guide.